A Malfoy Managed
by MtnDew26
Summary: Can you imagine how different things would be if Hermione and Draco had met in Diagon Alley, maybe even formed a friendship. Before Hogwarts, before Harry, before Ron, before everything. Set in the Fourth year, as their relationship develops.
1. Chapter 1

Vibrations from the train massaged her head, which was laying against the window of the train compartment. The makeshift room was empty, except for herself, her luggage, and a very hungry Ronald Weasley, who was currently shoveling several varieties of sweets that would appall her parents into his mouth. Something must have been laying against the metal of the luggage rack because a persistent rattling filled the room, just barely louder than the animalistic sounds coming from her hungry friend.

"Dis is da best batch o' br'wnies I've e'er eaten, 'Mione." He holds out a hand with a single misshapen brownie in it.

"No thanks, you have it." She nodded at him in permission.

"Oh. Thanks." He looks at it for a moment before shrugging and sticking the entire brownie in his mouth. "Mmm. Tha's good. I hope Harry ge's more o' dese."

Speaking of Harry, He opened the compartment door with his arms full of candies and sweets. Ron's eyes lit up when he saw a package of the brownies wedged between a soda and four chocolate frogs in Harry's left arm.

"Sorry..." Harry said with red cheeks as he dumped his stash next to Ron. "I uh, I ran into Cho...and she couldn't find her money and then I told her I'd pay, but then she couldn't decide what she wanted, and I told her she could choose anything, and she said that she didn't want to take advantage, and I said she wouldn't be, and she said she would be, and I said I wanted to help, and she said..." When Ron traded his mum's sandwiches with the brownies on Harry's pile, he realized that neither of them really cared what she has said. "S-sorry..."

"Ooh! I forgot to get Berty Botts Every Flavor Beans!" Ron snatched them from Harry's pile and held them up to his chest in a defensive position.

Harry shook his head and sat back.

"What? You dun wanna share your food with your best mate?"

"Take whatever you want, Ron." Harry was still shaking his head when Ron began picking the pile clean until all that was left was a package of graham crackers, a bottle of water, some pumpkin juice, and three galleons in change.

"So have you seen Malfoy yet?" Harry asked as a conversation starter.

"No, I'm not sure where he is, I thought I might run into him before we got on the train but...I don't know, I haven't seen him."

"Mm. I'm sure he'll show up."

"The little git's probably messing with some first years again." Ron said with a roll of his eyes.

"Ron! He only did that once..." Hermione defended weakly.

"Yeah, whatever..."

Harry had given up on hating Draco last year when he had given Sirius the key he and the rest of the Slytherin team had to the Quidditch Shack, which gave him access to a variety of broomsticks. Before then, the three of them, Harry, Ron, and Draco, had kept up a fairly persistent hatred of each other. Once Draco pulled that key out and put it in Sirius' hand, Hermione could tell something had changed between Harry and Draco. It happened in an instant, while Ron still managed to sustain a seemingly limitless hatred towards him, Hermione felt a small bit of triumph at the progress. In the meantime, Ron still did not fail to remind the other two that A) He shouldn't have been out after dark with no reason, B) The Slytherin team had no right to have that key, and it was obvious that they were using it for secret Quidditch practice, and C) Draco had stepped on his rat's tail, causing Scabbers to run away. They had not seen the rat since that moment, and Ron would most likely resent him forever.

"You know what, I'm going to go find him." Hermione stood up in a huff and slid outside into the narrow hallways. She walked through the halls, peering in through each glass door, searching for those familiar silver eyes.

"Hey, Granger." She heard from behind. When said by him, it sounded less like a something a teacher would call her, and more like a pet name. And that is what it was. It was his pet name for her. Hermione whipped around and found herself against the wall. Draco stood a respectful few feet away.

His shining silver eyes were lit up in greeting. The small smirking smile she was so used to by now looked down at her in the same way they had three years ago, when they first met. She still remembered it, seeing as it was their only truly simple memory. Every moment spent together since then had always had a complication, whether it was Harry, Ron, her friends in Gryffindor, his friends in Slytherin, her parents, his mum, it was still an absolute shock that they had managed to become as close as they had.  
_  
"Ah, I thought so...Dragon Heartstring. Ten and three quarters inches. A very good wand." Ollivander's slender fingers ran up the shaft of the long piece of wood. "For a very good witch."_

The sound of a bell signaled that another customer had just walked into the store. She ignored it.  
"And you're sure it will work? How often does a wand break?" She asked nervously.

"It is a very rare and very sad thing for a wand to break. It should be with you for life."

"Is there a warranty?"

A blonde boy snickered behind Hermione and she whiped her head around to see him. He had silvery eyes and a smirking smile upon his young face. "What's a warranty?" He asked curiously.

"Well, if something goes wrong then I don't want it to cost me anything..." She held her nose high in the air, proud of standing her ground.

"I assure you miss...?" Ollivander twirled his fingers through the air as if trying to remember her name.

"Granger."

"Granger! I assure you, Miss Granger, that you will have no problems with this wand. They say the wand chooses the wizard you know? And they're usually right."

"Witch." The blonde boy added while he flourished a thick little brown wand in the air. "The wand would choose the witch in this case."

Hermione looked between the two and nodded. "Okay well, I'll...I'll take it."

"Wonderful." Ollivander placed the thin wand into its box and wrapped a small gray bow around it. "And for you, young man?"

The blonde boy flourished yet another wand and it's box flew up and came in sharp contact with the side of his face. "Bloody hell..." He muttered.

"Language, boy." Ollivander warned.

"That hurt..." He set the wand down and picked up another.

Hermione pulled out her change purse full of strange looking coins that she still had not grown accustomed to. As she unzipped it, another flourish of the boy's wand sent it flying out of her hand and onto the ground with a small gust of wind. The coins spilled out and scattered across the floor loudly.

"Oh! I'm sorry..." The boy bent over immediately and began gathering her coins. "These bloody wands, I tell you..."

She smiled and picked up the other half of her coins. "It's okay. I suggest you pick another shelf to work on, those wands don't seem to like you." She joked.

"What are you talking about, everything likes me." He stated confidently. "Those wands are just grumpy."

She giggled and stood up alongside him. "Well, thank you. Now I just have to figure out what all these little coins mean." Hermione shuffled through her purse with furrowed eyebrows.

"I'll tell you what. Stick around until I find a wand and then they're on me, the both of them."

"Oh, don't be silly. You don't need to do that."

"It's no problem, really."

"But..why?"

"I guess I'm just in a good mood today. My mother gave me a fairly large lot of money this morning, and I suppose it would be best if I spend it on something useful. Either that or else I'll just go spend it all in the Quidditch shop."

He looked at Hermione with a smug look as if she should be impressed, but she was only confused. "Right, of course." She pretended she completely understood.

He moved to another shelf as she had suggested and picked up a wand. He flourished it proudly and confidently, as if he knew it would work.

It didn't.

In fact it did not do anything. No gust of wind, no flying boxes, and no, as it had been in Hermione's case, random bursts of toxic smelling concoctions that you would expect to come from an experimental chemist's lab. The wand just stayed firmly grasped in his hand, dead as a piece of wood.

"This one's broken." He said simply. He tossed the wand to Ollivander and added on, rather rudely, "You should take a look at it." As obnoxious as the act was, there was something about it that Hermione found rather funny about the whole thing.

He had finally settled on a wand about ten minutes later. It was the first wand that did not make him frown in frustration, much less unwillingly hurl something at the three of them.

Just as he had taken her wand in his hand, Ollivander picked up the blonde boy's wand and held it in the air. "Yes, Eleven inches, black mahogany, Dragon Heartstring core. Just like Miss Granger's. A very sturdy wand. It should serve you well, boy."

The boy paid for the wands and we had walked out of the shop together.

"Thank you uh..."

"Draco. Draco Malfoy." He held out his hand, and the look that told her she should be impressed returned.

"Nice to meet you." She took his hand in hers.

"Same to you, Granger."

They had walked around together and shopped for the rest of their supplies, most of which he insisted on paying for. Their discussions consisted of Hogwarts, for they had discovered that they would both be students there the following year, which type of animal was best as a pet, which flavor of ice cream was the best, and a million other trivial things. Somehow, they had managed to completely avoid the topic of their families, a subject they would only breach the next time they saw each other on the train to Hogwarts.  
  
"Where we're you? I didn't see you board the train." Hermione asked.

"My mum wanted to see me off. I thought..."

"Oh. Right." She understood immediately. Anything to keep their parents from officially knowing about their friendship. She talked about Draco all the time with her parents, but they had no idea how much weight the name "Malfoy" held in her world. And she was sure that her name was not spoken in his household.

"Yeah. Sorry. But they're gone now. How've you been since the Cup?"

They had seen each other at the Quidditch Cup, a memory she actually found herself treasuring more than she should. Over the summer, she had begun to transform into more and more of a woman, something she was very proud of now. And at the cup, she had been significantly more curvy than than Draco had ever seen before.

He had noticed.

Hermione supposed all girls felt like this when they grew up and became noticed more often. She could tell that he had grown as well over the summer. It wasn't as noticeable at the Cup, but she could see it now. His blonde hair hung a tad longer than usual, still as pale as ever. He had grown about four inches since their third year, and now towered over her more than usual. The strong muscles in his arms were more prominent than usual, and she was sure there were more underneath his shines green and silver school robes. Not that she cared.

"I've been good. I thought I'd come for a walk. Ronald is in my compartment stuffing his face. He is literally my parents' worst nightmare with those sweets."

"I can imagine. You know if they were in Gryffindor, Crabbe, Goyle and he would be pretty good mates, don't you think?"

"Maybe. But Crabbe and Goyle could never be in Gryffindor. We're the brave at heart, not the hungry, greedy, and quite frankly unclean at heart." Hermione joked.

Draco laughed at her joke for a moment and then silenced as he leans against the wall next to her. "I could have been in Gryffindor, I think."

"You could have been. But you asked for Slytherin, didn't you?" This was a common topic between the two of them.

"Yeah, I did."

"I can't imagine what your dad would think of his son actually thinking of what it would be like to be a Gryffindor."

"Yeah, well he's not exactly around to tell me what to think anymore, is he?"

"Nope..." She sighed and looked up at him as she always did when they discussed his dad. As always, she searched for any signs of hurt, but never found any.

"Sometimes I wish I had asked for Gryffindor."

"But your Dad-"

"Was a sick bastard who was murdered in our second year, Hermione. Murdered by the Ministry. And I can't even imagine what sick things he did to get there, things we don't even know about. And in Slytherin, I'm surrounded by a bunch of other sick bastards who are going to be just like him."

"Draco, come on. You don't need to be in Gryffindor to be brave or loyal. Just because you're in Slytherin doesn't mean you'll become him. Trust me."

"I hope you're right."

"I am."

"You should get your robes on. We'll be at Hogwarts soon."

"Hey c'mon, don't start off your year in a bad mood." She whined.

"Okay, cheer me up, Granger."

"Hmm, how about you imagine Professor Snape concocting an elaborate love potion and giving it to Ron, causing him to fall in love with Crookshanks." A smile crept on her face at the thought while Draco burst out laughing.

"Thank you." He said as he pulled her in for a quick hug. "Now that's an image to start our fourth year with."

"Exactly."

**[Authors Note]**

For anyone wondering WTF MALFOY ISN'T THAT CHILL, take a moment to realize that he is not OOC, he is actually kinda sorta in character for the situation. You guys obviously picked up on the fact that Lucius Malfoy died sometime in their second year. To keep a long story short, Lucius was on some sort of mission for Voldemort and it went badly, which means that Voldemort will not be returning any time soon. Or so we think ;) So basically, with Lucius gone, and as Hermione's friend (who flipped out at that?) Draco has changed. He still has a dark side because of who he is afraid he is, but he is not a rude little bitch as usual. Even though we love him as a rude little bitch XD

Now here's my question for you. With Voldemort no longer on the rise, if I were to have the Triwizard Tournament, Harry would not be a part of it. But would you guys still like me to have it? Because it would add sort of a background plot to the story, the Yule ball, and also Mr. Krum would have some fun jealous times with Mr. Malfoy :D so whattaya think? Worth it? Let me know please! Clickety click on the pretty little blue button :)


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione sat in the library, her head leaning on her hand as she used the other hand to furiously tap her pen on the table. One thing she loved about having muggle parents, which Draco would never understand, because he liked things the better, wizard way, is that she had access to an assortment of small bits of muggle ingenuity, like the pen she was using and the digital watch she was wearing underneath her scarlet and black robes.

"How did I know you'd be in here, Granger?"

She smiled and looked up at Draco. "I was just doing some light reading. You know, extra research. And also, I need to start preparing for the homework that's going to come soon. Just because we haven't been assigned homework today doesn't mean that there won't be a whole lot of it, and soon. I mean, our O.W. L. S. are next year. We can't afford to stall on this, it's very important to our-"

Her mouth was covered with his hand before she could finish her spiel.

"How do I say this politely? Oh right, _please_ shut up."

He uncovered her mouth and she began to speak again, "-Education..." She said, finishing her last sentence. "If you don't want to study, then why are you here?"

"I came to see you. We didn't get a chance to talk after last night. This whole Triwizard Tournament's gonna be awesome, huh?"

"Yes, it should be interesting, I mean the history of it all is so incredible, that's what I've been reading about for the most part. I can't believe we actually get to experience it."

"By the way, Granger…we'd have to get Dumbledore in here to find someone with a spell powerful enough to lift what you like to call light reading." He punctuated his joke with dropping one of the many textbooks onto the desk from a few inches up. It landed with a loud thump onto the wood. The few students that had found themselves in the library that morning looked up at the unexpected noise.

"You know that's not what I meant by 'light'."

"Hey, I have an idea. How about we get out. You know, in the sunlight. Where people usually go when they aren't doing imaginary homework. It could be fun. You're not going to study with me in here, anyway. I'm just _way_ too much of a distraction." Draco ran a hand through his hair dramatically to prove his point. "Honestly, I don't know how you ever get through a book when I'm around."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shut her book.

"I'm just so much prettier to look at." He said to himself as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine, fine, we'll go." She put the book she had been reading back on the shelf behind her and put her school supplies into her bag.

When she finished, he held out his arm for her to hold on to, "Shall we?"

"You do know that we're going to the lake, not a ball, right?" She laughed at her joke and the tinge of red on his face. He recovered quickly.

"Fine then, we'll walk separate. Would you like a minimum of five feet between us?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"Oh, don't be silly, Draco." She threw her bag over her shoulder and wove her arm through his as they left the library. The smile on his face did not go unnoticed.

They found themselves at the lake a few minutes later. It was their place, or at least they sure thought it was. Seamus had made a joke last year that they came with the property. They would come here for everything. Hermione would read books, study, and every once in a while doodle. Draco would throw rocks as far as he could into the lake, ramble about whatever was on his mind, and sometimes, it was rare, but sometimes, she caught him just staring at her. She would look up, meet his eyes, give him a small smile and then they would both continue on as if nothing had happened.

Most of all, the lake was their place to talk. Whether it was trivial conversation, like a discussion about what type of shampoo Snape used, if any, or sometimes it could be something deeper, like their first conversation at the lake.

_Hermione laid her head back against the tree. "Focus." She told herself. Her wand raised and muttered what should have been a simple spell. The page of her book stayed still and she tried again. She felt so stupid, waving her wand around, trying to flip a page that lay stubbornly dormant. "You can do this." She muttered again._

"Singar_-"_

"Granger."

It wasn't a greeting, and it wasn't said to call her attention. The same pale blonde boy's eyes widened at the sight of her. He hadn't been expecting her, and she could tell.__

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"I um...I came here to y'know...uh, never mind."__

"What? Are you asking me to move?"

"N-no...I mean...yeah, maybe I am."

"Well that's just too bad." She stated with an air of confidence. Her head turned back to her book and she flourished her wand swiftly, while muttering her charm. The page instantly flipped, and faster than she had expected. As it turned out, anger had fueled her magic like wood to a flame. Her hand continued its swishing motion, and the pages began to flip five, ten, fifteen at a time, until the book slammed shut with a thud.

Draco cleared his throat. "Are you really a mudblood? Like  
fully y'know, muggle born?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in shock. "Yes! I am fully _muggle born, and for your information, you can't be anything else. Do you know why? Because if you aren't fully muggle born, then you're half muggle born. Do you know what half muggle born is? Half-blood! But I'm not a half blood, am I? I'm a mudblood, and clearly not good enough for you!"_

He looked stunned, but recovered quickly. "Well just because I'm-"

She wouldn't let him finish. "And do you know what I'd like to know? What is so bloody _awful about being muggle-born anyway?"_

"I...I don't..."

"Exactly."

"My father always tells me that if you don't have any magic in your...er, breeding then...well you're not really deserving of the magic. It's cheating, really."

"Well my_ father always told me that if I ate too many sweets, my hair would fall out and I wouldn't be pretty any more. And quite honestly, that's some advice that I wish I hadn't believed to the age of eight."_

Draco's eyes attempted to shield the how much he wanted to laugh, but only unsuccessfully.

"Frankly, it was a real waste of candy."

He lost control on her last word and laughed loudly. It was only moments before she joined him as well.__

"I'm just saying..." She began again. "Maybe you shouldn't believe everything they say."

His laugh morphed into a simple smile. "Maybe you're right. We'll see, Granger."

"Yes. We will."__

Once again, he held his hand out to her. "Let's start over. Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy? The _Draco Malfoy?" She said sarcastically. "Well I'm Hermione Granger."_

"Nice to meet you, Granger."  


Now, the two of them laid sprawled out among the grassy area, just feet from the sandy patch before the water started.

"So are you nervous about your competition this year?" Draco teased.

"Competition? What competition?"

"We'll have visitors, y'know. Two other schools, which means three times as many complete know-it-alls to deal with."

"Are you calling me a know-it-all?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Hmm, let me think. What can you tell me about the other schools?"

"Well...Beauxbatons is seven hundred years old, and located near Cannes, France. Oh, and also the headmistress' name is Madame Olympe Maxime. Now for Durmstrang. It's located in Norway, and was established in 1294. I believe. It has a smaller castle than Beauxbatons or even Hogwarts, but then again it takes less students, so size isn't that impo-"

Draco was laughing uncontrollable now. "No, I'm sorry, you're right. You're not a know it all."

"Shut up!" She hit him playfully on the shoulder and they rolled onto their sides to look at each other.

"What's wrong?" His eyebrows furrowed and he stopped laughing. Draco could always tell when something was wrong.

"It's just...I read something else yesterday. Durmstrang Institute is a pure-blood school. They won't except any students unless they have magic in every part of their family. And with a third of the students this year being from Durmstrang... Well, I'm just worried about how they'll act around people like...like me."

"You never worried about that kind of stuff before."

"Yeah, I know, it's silly. It was just something I was thinking about."

"Well, do you want to hear something really cool about Durmstrang?"

She pushed the current thought out of her mind. "Sure."

"D'you know what famous wizard is in their seventh year this year?"

"No...who?"

"Krum. Viktor Krum. Can you believe it? Viktor Krum is going to stay in our school. We get to meet the best Quidditch player in the entire wizarding world."

"And there was much rejoicing." Hermione said in a flat, sarcastic voice. "Yayyyy."

"Oh, c'mon! It'll be great! Do you think he might teach me some Quidditch? Then I could finally beat Potter for once."

She shook her head. "First off you git, you should pay more attention when Dumbledore speaks. There's no Quidditch this year." Draco's eyes widened in shock. His face resembled the spoiled look he used to wear in his first and second year that would say, "My father will be hearing about this!"

"What do you mean, no Quid-"

"And second of all...no offense, but it will take a lot more than coaching from Krum for you to beat Harry."

His face projected insincere offense. "Well that was rude."

"Sorry, just the truth."

"Whatever." Draco pouted.

Hermione rolled back to her previous position, facing upwards. "How are you doing with this Mad Eye Moody thing?"

"Well, I can't decide whether to give him a hug, or just make it more anonymous. Y'know. Send him a fruit basket or something."

"Draco, c'mon. Be serious here. You're honestly fine about this? Happy, even?"

"I'm more than happy."

"You're telling me that you're more than happy that our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher just happens to be the man that killed your father?"

"Well when you put it that way, you kind of make me sound a little heartless."

"I just can't believe you're really okay with this."

"You knew my father, right?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yes, Draco, I knew your father, and yes, he was a total arse, but still. He was your father."

"How do you not hate him, Hermione? Honestly, I don't understand it, you always seem to think that his death erased what he did to hundreds of people. And what he almost did to us!"

"I just want to make sure you're still okay. You were upset when he died, and Im sure you're still upset, you're just very good at bottling up your emotions."

"I'm fine, Hermione." She could always tell when he was serious about something, because he would use her first name.

"Alright then."

"I bet Viktor Krum and I could be Quidditch buddies." He stated in a dreamy voice.

**Hehehe foreshadowing :) Sooooo whatcha think?**

You should make me happy and click that pretty little blue review button. I bet it would make you happy too :D


	3. Chapter 3

"Hermione? What does this say?" Ron asked tentatively, pointing to an unclear mess of scribbles labeled "History of Magic Notes".

"Hmm. It seems to say...why would you put forth so much effort to copy my notes oh so stealthily by not looking down at your so called notes to see if they are even legible when you could have easily just taken notes and paid the smallest amount of attention to what the professor said."

Harry smiled to himself and leaned over to read the mass of random pencil strokes. He looked upon the paper with an extreme feigned focus. "It could also say 'I am about to wiggle my hips at a boy named Parker'."

"It's one or the other, for sure." She said in a bored, flat tone.

"Up to you, man." Harry smacked Ron on the back encouragingly, the way boys do when they wish each other good luck.

"Gee, thanks."

The three of them sat in the Gryffindor common room together. Harry and Hermione took up the couch with their bodies and school supplies. Ron leaned sideways against the couch in between them.

Hermione's eyes whipped up to meet the sound of a sharp pecking at the window. Through the thick glass, she could see a familiar brown and white specked eagle owl. She stood to open the left side of the window, and the bird flew inside, it's large wings flapping awkwardly through the narrow window frame.

"Hey there, little buddy."

She refused to call him by his official name. It's owner, in his stereotypically egotistical way, had named him Little Draco. Every time she remembered the cute little bird's name, she would blush a little. When they had first purchased the little owl, Draco had just turned thirteen, and Hermione was almost there. He had made an extremely crude joke about the "other little Draco," and then added that it was "anything but little." At the time, the joke had mortified Hermione to the shade of a tomato. Now she could control her emotions a little better.

She unwrapped the note and read the fancifully written words scrawled on the scrap piece of parchment.

Find me in the Great Hall. The other schools are coming.  
-Draco

There was a noticeable ink stain where Draco had furiously scratched out what he had written before his name.

"I'm going to the Great Hall. Do you guys want to come?"

"Why?" Ron eyed the familiar bird and scowled. "What's he want now?"

"The other schools are arriving apparently. You know, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons."

"Yeah, and why would we want to see them?" Ron asked in a sulking tone.

Hermione took a deep breath. Time to bring out the big guns, she thought.

"Viktor Krum is a seventh year at Durmstrang Institute of Magic."

Ron nearly knocked over the couch in a speedy attempt to stand up. "Krum? Viktor Krum? Why didn't you say so?"

"I _did_ say so. About ten seconds ago."

"Oh my God, I can believe it! Do you think we could play Quidditch with him?"

He sounded just like Draco. "I don't know, do you want to join me or not?"

"Well, yeah!"

"Harry?"

"Sure, why not?" Harry scratched the back of his neck and stood up, shrugging.

"We're gonna meet Viktor Krum, mate." Ron whispered to him on the way out.

**[Great Hall]**

The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement when they walked in. Hermione began to make her way to the table on the far right.

"Where are we going?" Ron asked.

"I'm going to say hi to Draco." She mumbled back.

Ron's groan was loud and annoying. She turned to look at him. "And if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." He simply rolled his eyes in response.

She spotted Draco now, and the blonde quickly stood up from the table to meet them.

"Granger. Hey." He gave her a small smile that she returned almost immediately.

"She has a name you know." Ron said harshly. Harry gave him a "Don't push it" sort of look.

Draco completely ignored him and continued to stare at Hermione. "You look nice today." He said with a smile. "Y-your hair. I like it. Looks good." He nodded awkwardly.

"O-Oh, yeah, thanks. I erm, I brushed it so..."

"Yeah it, it looks good."

"Thanks." His silver eyes searched the room for another subject to discuss, but found nothing. Despite his usual calm and cool disposition, Draco was suddenly very uncomfortable.

"Can we go, Harry?" Ron pouted and gave his best mate a pleading look.

"Er, yeah. I guess." Harry bit his lip and gave Hermione a look that begged permission. A look that she ignored as she continued to watch Draco. "We'll meet you back at the Gryffindor table, Hermione."

Draco frowned a little at this. "Are you going to sit with them?"

"I think I have to...I mean I usually eat breakfast with you, so you know, it's only fair..."

He nodded. "Well...they should be here soon, so...you should probably go get a good seat."

She nodded in understanding and turned to leave, but just before she did, he grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a strong hug. When they parted, Draco was looking awkwardly at his feet.

"See ya." He mumbled before sitting down.

-

"Good afternoon, all." Dumbledore's voice boomed around the Great Hall. "I am pleased to inform you that, as most of you should be expecting, Hogwarts will be playing host to two very different schools this year. With them, you will share classes, eat your meals, spend your time, and you will be advised to offer any available help to them. Now, it gives me great pleasure to introduce...the lovely ladies of Beauxbatons."

The large doors at the end of the hall burst open. About fifty or so fairy-looking creatures burst in, dancing around gracefully in their sparkly blue uniforms. Just as they were hypnotized by veelas at the world cup, Harry and Ron looked mesmerized at the sight of them. She suddenly had the urge to see how Draco reacted to them. Turning her head to the right, she caught sight of him craning his neck as high as it could go. A pang of jealousy and disbelief ran through her. She supposed she hadn't expected him to be entirely unfocused, but at the same time, she hadn't expected him to be so eager. At the world cup he had not taken any notice of the veela. In fact, the one girl that had distracted him from them was Hermione herself. It was a strangely rewarding concept, she had found.

They sat in separate boxes, one next to the other. All throughout the beginning ceremonies, they had been sneaking glances and smiles at each other. It had been thrilling for some reason. Perhaps it was the forbidden feeling, but it had been more than fun. In his booth had been his mum, who had no idea that Draco and I had ever spoken, and in hers were the Weasleys who refused to accept him as a human being, all except for Ginny. Ginny had learned to trust him in her first year at Hogwarts. When the veela had come out, he had sent her a quick smile that she returned, along with the shaping of her hands into a heart. She had meant it as a joke, seeing as his mum would have climbed over and into her box to strangle her, had she seen it. His eyes had widened for a second before his smile grew bigger. He must have thought that his mother could have seen it because he had looked utterly shocked.

Now, his eyes eagerly trailed the older girls of the other school as they danced. When they reached the end of the hall, a large woman who Hermione assumed must have been Madame Olympe Maxime made her grand entrance. She walked up the middle aisle, casting judgmental glances in every witch and wizard's direction.

"Welcome, Madame Maxime." Dumbledore said with a genuine smile. "You look lovely as always."

"How kind of you, Albus. Take me to my seat, please." She said in a graceful French accent.

"Of course, this way." He pointed her in the direction of a delicate looking chair.

"And now," Dumbledore began again. "Let's give a warm welcome to...the sons of Durmstrang."

When the door swung open once more, the welcome was far from warm. Two columns of intimidating young men marched in. They move forward in a synchronized motion of stomping, screaming a droning chant, and running to the other end of the hall. Hermione's mind was rid of all things Draco and veelas as the men ran ahead of her. She had to admit that these men were attractive, or at least most of them. Their bodies were covered in muscle, and they all had the same short haircut and no facial hair. The only person that stood out at all was the man that followed behind them. He walked forward with a bored expression. The coat he wore was a tad extravagant for the weather they had in England, but all criticisms were lost on her when his eyes glanced at the Gryffindor table. His eyes met those of many of the girls around her until they fell on hers. She stared back with the same intensity that his black eyes had.

And about one second after that, she had yet another close shave with death.

He smirked at her. At. Her. He smirked. At her. Viktor Krum. Smirked at Hermione Granger.

She now understood why Ron constantly babbled on about celebrities like Viktor Krum. Normally, these sort of reactions would be beneath her, but there was just something about it that had thrilled her.

Harry tapped her on the shoulder softly. "You okay there?" He smiled a little and she wondered for a moment how that had looked to everyone else.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You looked kinda scared there for a minute."

"Scared? Not scared, why do I look scared?"

"I don't know, you just looked a little shocked. Actually you look a little like Ron." She turned to look at Ron who's eyes were wide, mouth was open, and was smiling like a git.

"Please tell me you're joking." She begged.

"Alright, exaggerating yes, joking no."

"Whatever." She said frustrated. "Just listen."

When they turned to hear Dumbledore's words, he was once again explaining the rules of the Triwizard Tournament, as he had done on the first day of term. Watching Draco, she saw as his face fell again when they mentioned the age rule.

No, Draco, she wanted to say to him, they haven't changed the rules to allow fourth years.

When the Goblet of Fire was unveiled, several oohs and ahhs echoed around the great hall. "Now." Dumbledore began to say. "Tonight we will begin a very delicate process. If you are of the age of seventeen, you may put your name in the Goblet of Fire to be chosen as school champion. It is not required in any way, shape, or form, and remember...if chosen, you stand alone."

An ominous silence enveloped the crowd before Dumbledore returned to his cheerful self once more. "So let's eat! Remember, mingling is highly encouraged. Mingle among schools, houses, ages, genders, and races." With a happy snap of his fingers, food filled the plates before us.

Without saying a word, Hermione silently slipped out of the bench and made her way to the Slytherin table while Harry and Ron began to devour the food.

"Come to join us, Granger?" Malfoy asked with a fork in his hand, poised to eat the delicious looking pasta in front of him. She appreciated the fork, which unlike Ron's was actually being used at the appropriate time. The last time she remembered Ron using a fork was when he put mashed potatoes on the butt of the fork and hit the other end, catapulting the mushy substance towards Seamus.

"Well, you guys seem to have better manners than some Gryffindors." She waved to Draco's ever existent retinue of friends who had by now grown used to her.

"Very true, I assume the weasel has abandoned all sense of dignity and decided to go swimming in the gravy bowl?"

"Draco...be nice." She warned him as she sat down next to him.

"Okay, okay, sorry." She knew he didn't mean it, but accepted the gesture.

In the middle of their meal, she heard a deep voice ask from above, "Is dis seat taken?" Viktor Krum's broken English silenced everyone in the vicinity.

"N-no. It's yours." Draco and I both said at the same time.

"Thank you."

Before Krum could take a seat, Draco stood up clumsily. "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. And this is Hermione Granger."

Viktor Krum gave her another intense glare followed by a small smile. He turned back to Draco. "Ma-foy? I know zeh name."

"Do you?" The two men sat down now.

"Ja." Hermione recognized the foreign word as a yes. "Your fazher. He is a bastard." Krum said in blunt, forced English.

"Was," Draco corrected, "A bastard."

"He ez bastard no more?"

"He is alive no more."

"Ah. Good."

Hermione swallowed the drink she had in her hand before protesting. "Well its not exactly a good thing, someone in his family died."

"True. Vhatever you say, Herm..."His lips struggled to form the word he thought he knew.

"Hermione." She said.

"Herm-own-nee."

"HerMIone."

"Hirmeenee?"

"HermioNE."

"Hermeeohny?"

"Her. Mio. Ne."

"Herm-own-ninny?"

"Close enough." She smiled at him and he gave her a small, slightly goofy smile back.

"So, Vik-" Draco was cut off by Krum's words.

"You're very pretty, Herm-own-ninny." He said bluntly.

"O-oh. Th-thank you." Hermione began to fiddle with her hair and a blush covered her face.

"Y'know, I'm a fairly g-" Draco was once again cut off.

"Do you vatch Quidditch?"

"Yes, I do. Actually, I was at the world cup."

"You vere?"

"Yes, you were amazing. You're an incredible Quidditch player."

"He didn't ev-" Draco attempted once more.

"Do you play Quidditch?"

"No, I don't think I'd ever be good at it. Heights aren't exactly my best friend."

"I could show you."

"Oh trust me, she's right. I've tr-" Draco was getting angry now. This time, she cut him off.

"It might be worth a shot." She said with a shrug.

"So...you two...are not lovers...Ja?"

Draco answered for them. "No, not lovers. Just very close, good friends. She's probably my best friend. And, and vice versa. There's er, there's really nothing better than friendship. In fact probably half of my good memories are with her. A-and you know, same for her. We're friends. Really, really good friends. Nothing, no one will change that... Which is good. You know, just good to...to know. You should know. Because I know, and she knows. Most people know." He nodded awkwardly. It had probably been the most awkward sentence she had ever heard him say, and Viktor looked completely confused.

"I am sorry...my eenglish is not very good...vhat vas zat?"

"We're friends." He emphasized again. "Just...just er, yeah."

"Ja. Perhaps Herm-own-ninny and I can become friends as vell?"

Ah yes, Viktor is here to ruin everyone's day :D however for those of you who hate him with a passion, Im sorry but I will not be killing him off, or making him any more of a jerk than he supposedly is. Nor will I make him abusive or a death eater (just trying to cover all the stereotypes here lol) he will not be so repulsive that Hermione has no choice but to love Draco. She's gonna love Draco cuz hes MR. PRETTY DRACO :D. to me, viktor krum has always just been a Russian forest gump. That's how I see him XD even though he's not actually Russian. Go with it.


	4. Chapter 4

The blue line drifted counterclockwise in a slow, methodic motion. It never moved an inch out of it's pathway, yet the changing shades of electric blue revealed its movement.

The boys always came in groups to cross it. One would slowly tip toe through the elevated barrier, drop their name in the Goblet, and pass once more through the line to be cheered on by their friends. Each time a paper was dropped delicately into the Goblet, it roared like a lion, seizing and burning the small piece of paper. Hermione was surprised that people had not entered their names more than once out of fear that the paper was destroyed. The Goblet, as is the Tournament, is a Venus fly trap of sorts. Still, calm, quiet. Until its prey falls for its tricks.

She sat and watched this process, fascinated by the magic behind it all. The line, the Goblet, the small slips of papers, the beards that had grown on the faces of those idiotic enough to cross the line at a younger age, and the Tournament itself.

Draco of course, was bored out of his silly little mind. "Granger, come _on_, we have to do something besides stare at the pretty blue line."

"It's more than a pretty blue line, Draco. It's powerful magic."

"Yes, it is wonderful, powerful magic." He emphasized sarcastically. "So is this." He pulled out his wand and flourished it dramatically as if directing an orchestra. Thin blue ribbons shot from the end, swirling in the air before they landed on the ground, and popping like a bubble.

She smiled and offered a small laugh to boost his ego. "That is far from powerful magic."

"Perspective, Granger."

"Rubbish, Malfoy."

The pair sat in quiet for several minutes, perhaps longer. Draco would twirl his wand idly through his fingers, the wood passing over and under every other finger, a habitual fidget of his. Hermione observed the seventh years that would pass through. Very few from Hogwarts, she noticed. Most, if not all of Beauxbatons. All from Durmstrang would enter their names. The boy, or man, she should say, that stood out most was Viktor Krum, of course.

He marched in with a determined face, and the room was silenced. Whispers ran through groups, but were immediately stifled by a glare here and there. He looked determined and able as he entered his name into the Goblet of Fire. Hermione would be lying if she said she had not taken note of the wink and smile he offered her before leaving.

Draco had noticed too.

"Hermione... Can I ask you a question?"

He only ever used her first name if he was serious, angry, confused, or nervous.

"Sure, go ahead. You know you can ask me anything."

"Have you ever kissed someone?"

"Oh." She felt her cheeks burn bright red as she began to stammer. "Actually...er...I erm...I h-...y-yeah. Once. Yeah."

"You have?"

She did not trust herself to speak, so she nodded.

"Well, who was it?" Draco's eyes subconsciously searched the room as if he were there.

"You uh, you don't know him. He's a erm...he's a..."She mumbled the last word so softly she would not have know it herself, had she not purposely mouthed the word.

"Yes?"

"He's...He's a...muggle. He's a muggle, okay?"

"He's a muggle? You kissed a muggle?" The disgust was evident in his voice.

"Yes. I kissed a muggle. And it was quite...lovely, to be honest. You don't have to be a wizard to be a good kisser you know?" She felt her blush deepen at her words. How she had actually managed to say them was lost on her.

"But...when did you kiss a muggle? Were you dating him? Did you...Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No! I don't have a boyfriend. It was one kiss, one time. I barely knew him."

"Did you even know his name?" He said with a hint of frustration.

"No, actually. I don't think I did."

"Jesus, Hermione! You didn't even know his name? Why would you kiss him?"

"I didn't! He kissed me...why does this bother you so much? He didn't kiss you."

"Well no, obviously not, but...I don't know."

"Why, have you ever kissed anybody?"

Draco's eyes softened and he glanced down at his feet. "Er, no. Not exactly."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No. It means no, okay?" His cheeks burned as he ran his hands through his now messy hair. For the past three years, his hair had always been slicked back, but now he had changed. His hair was now a little messy, and Hermione would be a dirty liar if she didn't admit it was downright adorable. She found herself noticing him again. Noticing how he was taller, stronger, more handsome, than last year. It was surprising that he had never shared a kiss with a girl. Even Hermione wanted to kiss him.

Wait.

_What?_

She did _not _just think that. Nope. Didn't happen. He was her friend. Her _friend_. Not her boyfriend. And he would never be her boyfriend. Things were complicated enough without a romantic connection. He would just have to find a girlfriend in somebody else. The thought sent a pang of jealousy through her, aimed at a nonexistent girl.

Before he or she could speak again, the room was silenced by an angry Mad Eye Moody storming in.

"Now listen carefully, because this is important!" He yelled in his frustrated tone. "I will not, will _NOT_ be turning anyone back to their original age or physical complexion anymore, so if you think it's worth it, be my guest and cross that bloody line there. Just be aware that you will look like an alligator that has been crumpled up and ironed out by HELEN KELLER WITH _A ROCK_ AS HER IRON for several weeks, or however the bloody hell long it takes for my patience to return! And if you're wondering at the moment my patience is on vacation in BLOODY ANTARCTICA!" His spiel came out all in one breath.

Somewhere in the room, a first year yelled after Mad-Eye in a polite tone. "Have a good day, Mr. Moody!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" He yelled back.

Draco cackled like a hyena next to Hermione. He was covering his mouth to cover the sounds he was making. Even Hermione found herself laughing after a few moments.

"It really doesn't help that _he_ looks that way, now does it?" She managed to get out between laughs.

[The Lake]

Her legs went numb about two miles into the run. This should have been concerning, but was more of a relief, considering the alternate. Her arms still chugged along in pain, pushing her forward. The rocks beneath her feet kicked up behind her with each effort to pick up her feet.

The sound of another set of feet greeted her from behind. She turned around, expecting Harry, who would join her every once in a while when she would decide to start running again.

"Viktor." This. This was her brilliant greeting. His name, of all things.

"Herm-own-ninny." He responded. "I did not know you ran?" He asked as a question.

"I, er, I don't usually. Just every once in a while." She found herself fixing her hair, which she was sure was atrocious at the moment. The sweat dripped down her neck in a hot line. Here, she stood before him, a disgusting mess of sweat and consistent, shallow breaths. And there in front of her, he stood looking quite handsome.

"May I run with you?" He asked.

"Sure."

After a few minutes of effortless running on his part, Viktor spoke in a voice so calm he could have spent the last half hour in a bathtub. "I don't know if I can keep vith you Herm-own- ninny."

She smiled and slowed to a walk. "I'm sorry, I don't run much."

"That is okay. You have a very... vhat is the vord? Pretty. You have a very pretty smile."

Hermione blushed and looked down at the rocks. "Oh. Thank you."

"You have a very pretty everything...Did, did I say that right?"

"Erm, yes. Yes, you did. I, I don't really know what to say to that..."

"Vell, generally one would respond vith another compliment, but since you do not know me well enough to offer one, you could tell me that I am very good at being Viktor Krum."

Hermione giggled. "Well then you are very good at being Viktor Krum."

"Thank you. And maybe, we could get to know each other a leetle better, so next time you can tell me I am very good at something else?"

"I think that would be nice."

"Good."

**Itty bitty chapter :) I've been trying to study for finals, and Im juggling two fics here, so I'm sorry if it's not as long as we might want, but it's all I can do for now. Sorry!******

**Leave me a review and let me know if there's anything you want me to do with this story specifically, Kay? I got the idea for that scene with Malfoy from a fan, and I thought it was a really good idea. So maybe if I like your idea too then I could incorporate it into the story? :D******

**The rambling will now cease. Review please :)**


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